Marquee letter conveyor



Feb. 25, 1947. H W, MQRELAND, JR 2,416,340

MARQUEE LETTER CONVEYOR Filed Oct. 28,V 1944 l 3 Sheets-Sheet. l

"ff/AWWA y 1 @314s n Feb. 25, 1947. H. w. MORELAND, JR 2,416,340

MARQUEE LETTER CONVEYOR Y Filed Oct. 28, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 25, 1947. v H W, MORELAND, 1Rl 2,416,340

MARQUEE LETTER CONVEYOR A Filed oct. 28, 1944 5 sheets-sheet s Patented F eb. 25, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

MARQUEE LETTER CONVEYOR Harry W. Moreland, Jr., Portsmouth, Va., assigner of one-third to Richard F. Smith and one-third to Albert H. Stockmar, both of Douglasville, Ga.

Application October 28, 1944, Serial No. 560,870'

3 Claims. 1

The present invention' relates generally to portablev lifting devices and more particularly to a pole-supported elevating means for conveying the letters used in theater marquee signs to and from their proper positions to effect the changing of such signs.

It is the current practice when changing the sign advertising of a particular picture at a theater to make use of a high step ladder which must be climbed in order to make the change of letters and obviously entails frequent moving of the position of the ladder and mounting and dismounting from the same. This current practice is highly dangerous, not only to the operator because of possible serious falls from the ladder and lrisk to the sign letter equipment, but also to the passing public.

The present invention has for its chief object the elimination of the above dangers and inconveniences by providing an improved portable, manually operated device for elevating the letters to be used to their particular place in the sign.

It is another important object of the present invention to provide a portable, manually operated lifting device for theater marquee sign letters which will readily clasp and elevate such letters to proper position at which point they may be as readily released to rest upon the usual supporting bars or cables of the sign.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a portable manually operated lifting device for letters to be used in theater marquee signs which is adjustable for Various sizes of letters which may be released in the proper position or picked upl therefrom by an operator on the ground. l

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawings I have shown three embodiments of the present invention.

In these drawings: v

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus comprising the present invention and showing it in operative relation with respectl to a theater marquee sign;

Figure 2v is a side elevation partly y broken away and partly in cross-section of the hand reel for elevating and lowering the letters supporting carriage;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

- Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken on. the line 5-5 of Figure 2; r v n 2 Figure 6 is a View in side elevation, partly in` section, to an enlarged scale, of the letter clamping carriage and the upper end of the supporting post;

Figure 7 is a horizontal section taken on' thel Figure 8 is a horizontal section takenon the line 8-8'of Figure 6;

Figure 9 is a vertical section taken on the line 9 9 or Figure 6;

Figure 10 is a horizontal section taken on the mounted in parallel, longitudinally extending y slots 24 for vertical movement by means of a hand reel 26.

The pole 26 is formed in two longitudinally extending sections 38 and 32 which are securedA together by means of suitable screws throughout' their length. The hand reel 26 comprises a pulley 34 having a deep annular flexible cablereceiving groove 36 in its outer periphery and is keyed to a shaft 38 and provided with a suit-- able crank 46. The upper end of the pole 26 is provided with a small pulley 42 suitably journalled therein and a flexible cable 44 connected at one end to the base of theA carriage 22, passes over the pulley 42, through a slot 46Y formed in the inner face of pole section 32, and' over the reel 34 to which the other end is secured. The post 24 is provided with an additional pair of longitudinally extending slots 48 and 50 formed in the inner faces of the sections 3U and 32 to also receive yiiexible cables 52 and 54 as will be described, and with a longitudinally extending slot 43 formed in the front face of the pole.

The inner face of -Section 30 is slotted'as at to receive a catch member 66 pivoted at 62 and provided with a lug 64 to which is secured the upper end of the cable 54 (Figure 6), the

lower end of the cable being attached' to a'trigger 66 pivoted as at 68 within a slot '|70 formed in the section 32 (Figures 2 and 3).` VIt will be apparent that movement of the trigger upgr wardly or counterclockwise will depress the other' end of the trigger 66 to put a downward pull on the cable 54 to effect a clockwise rotation of,v catch about its pivot62against1the actiorrofz-` a compression spring 70 to withdraw the outer edge of the catch within the front surface of the hole 2'0. A supporting catch or stop is thus pro-V vided for the carriage 22 when raised to its uppermost position as shown in Figures 1 and 6, 5 thus relieving tension on the flexible cable 44.

An actuating trigger 72 is pivotally mounted v4as at 74 in a slot l76 provided in the upper end of 48 to be secured to the end 62 of an operatingI Y x lever 84'Which is pivotally mounted Yasat..86fv I within a slot 83 formed in the pole adjacent the 15 reel 26. Depression of the operating Ylever 64 effects a downward pull on thenger 78'causing the finger 80 to move in a counterclockwise direction about its pivot 74 to engage the upturned flange 90 of an( actuating member 92 which ex'- 20 tends forwardly through a slot 63 in the base of the carriage 2.2 and is slidable vertically in the slot 49. Release of pressure upon the actuating lever 84 causes the trigger 72 to return to the position shown in Figure 6 under the action of 25 a tension spring 94.

The cable 44 which effects the elevation of the carriage 22 as well as the catch operating cable 54 and jaw operating cable 52, may be of heavy woven cord, flexibleV link cable, or even 30 1 spring steel banding of the type used for meas- 1 uring tapes.

The carriage 22 comprises a bracket 96 includ- 'j ing a base 98 having four leg portions which are 1 bent in the form of a channel (Figure 8), the 35 flange portions of which are again bent and re- 1 ceived within the longitudinally extending slots 24 provided in the side surfaces of sections 30 l and 32 of the pole 20. of the base 96 have an easy sliding fit in the 40 slots 24 so that motion of the carriage with respect to the pole maybe easily effected by the i hand reel 26.

The ange portions |60 The carriage 22 further comprises a pair of adjustable jaws |02 and |04 having shoulders |03 45 and which are connected by a U-shaped metal l strap |06 having an inturned flange |67 which is pivotally mounted on the bracket 96 as at l |08. Depending from an eyestrap in the lower l leg of the U-shaped member |66 is a stub shaft 50 provided in its front surface with a longitudinally` extending guiding groove i2, also with a plurality of spaced transverse notches H4 for a purpose which will be described. The lower carriage jaw |04 is slidably mounted on the shaft 55 l ||0 and is provided with a vertical flange ||6 l which tracks in the slot H2. tained inthe adjusted vertical position by means z of a horizontally pivoted lever ||8 which is provided at its opposite end with a flat lugged por- 6 l tionY which cooperates with any one of the ltransverse notches H4.

The jaw is re- The upper leg of the U-shaped member |06 has a stub shaft |22 extending upwardly therefrom and having in its front face a longitudinally extending slot portion 65 |24 in which an upstanding ange |26 mounted v on the jaw |02 tracks or slides.

jects through the front side of theshaft |22 and 1 into a longitudinally extending slot |50 in which is arranged a compression spring which acts downwardly on thevflange |26 to provide the re- Tsilient clamping action of the jaws |02 and |04.

A stud |28 pro- The flange |26 on upper jaw |02 is Vslidably `mounted in the hollow shaft |22 and is inY en-` Qgagement with'a thrust vpin |32 which-'is ar- 75 4 ranged for vertical movement in shaft |22 and along a fixed guide member |34. The inturned Vilange |07 of the U-shaped member |06 is provided with a V-shaped angle member |36 which receives and guides a roller |36 mounted on the lower end of bar 40 which is pivotally connected to the lower end of the member |32. `The bar |40 is connected intermediate its ends to the lever 92 by means of a crank member |42, the lever V92` being guided in its horizontal reciprocation tuted therefor which are mounted on a plate |48 having an inturned flange |50 which is pivotally connected to the bracket 96. The vacuum cups |46 are conected by a pair of rubber hoses |52 to a vacuum release valve |54 which is operated by levers |42 and 92to release the vacuum when it is desired to release the letters supported by vacuum cups. Y

In Figure 12 I have shownI a further modiiication of the letter supporting portion of the carriage wherein a pair of electromagnets |54 are provided in the face of a plate |56 which is attaced to the flange member |50 and pivotally mounted to the bracket |56 as before. YIn such case each of the letters |64 forming the sign on the theater marquee are provided with metal buttonsV |58 suitably placed in the body of the letter so as to `be affected by the magnetic attraction of the magnets |54 ci the letter supporting plate |56. A switch box |60 may also be mounted on the flange E50 and connected by levers |42 and 92 with the actuating trigger 72 as shown in Figure 6. It will be apparent that actuation of the trigger 72 will movelevers |42 and 62 to the right to throw the switch |62 to open the circuitjbetween a battery (not shown) suitably mounted on the pole 20 and the electromagnets |54 to release the letters |64 supported by the magnets |54.

As seen inrFigure 1, a letter |64 supported by the carriage 22 is about to be placed on the parallel horizontally extending wire or 'bar supports |72 of a theater marquee sign |74. The side flanges at the 'back of each letter are provided with two pairs of inwardly and upwardly inclined slots |76 within which the'parallel rods |72 are adapted to be received to support the various letters in their respective positions on the sign.

The operation of the apparatus will now bc described, Y

The operator grasps the pole 20 in his left hand just about the reel 26 so that his left thumb may operate either of the levers 66 or 84. The proper 0 letter to be placed'upon the marquee sign is selected with his right hand'and placed between the jaws |02 and |64 of the carriage 22 as the operators left thumb depresses trigger 64 to open them. Thumb pressure is then releasedand the letter is securely held between the jaws.

, The carriage 22 is now velevatedto the topoi the pole 20 by turning the crank 46 in a counter-r clockwise manner with the right hand, and whenr the base of the carriage 98 passes over the catch 60 it depresses the same against the action lof the compression spring 7 0. jUpon passage' of the sliding base 68, the catch again projectsV outwardly of the slot 58 and as the carriage is now substantially at its upper limitsfof movement, mo#- tion of the crank is stopped and the carriage is permitted to rest upon the catch 60.

The operator now positions the letter |64 with respect to the supporting bars |12 and inserts the slots |16 of the letter thereover, the carriage being pivotally mounted as at |03 with respect to the bracket 98. When the letter is properly placed. the operator depresses the actuating lever 84 which causes counterclockwise rotation of trigger 12 to urge the lever 92 inwardly or to the right as shown in Figure 6. The wheeled lever |40 is now moved to the right by virtue of its connection therewith and contact of the wheel |38 with the V-shaped guide |36 forces member |32 upwardly by virtue of its pivoted connection with member |40, This upward movement of member |32 along the sliding guide |34 moves the upper jaw |02 upwardly against the action of compression spring |30' to release the letter |64. Thumb pressure on lever 84 is then released. It will be appreciated that the jaws are pivotable with respect to the pole so that even though the letter is necessarily held at an angle by a compression spring |09 the letter will be substantially parallel to the sign. The jaws, of course, are operable at all angles of adjustment thereof relative .to the pole.

The operator may now position the still elevated carriage 22 adjacent a letter which is to be removed from the supporting bars |12 of the marquee sign |14 and the lever 84 again depressed to open lthe jaws |02 and |04 about the letter and thumb pressure released to clampthe jaws upon its upper and lower edges. The carriage pole is withdrawn from the immediate vicinity of the sign and the operators right hand again placed on .the crank ready to retard the downward descent by gravity of the carriage 22. The left thumb of the operator now depresses trigger 66 to withdraw catch 60 from beneath the sliding base 98 of the carriage which then descends by gravity resisted and controlled by the operators right hand on the crank 40. Upon arrival of the carriage at the lower limits of the supporting and guiding slots 24 adjacent the operators left hand, the operator may then remove the letter from the jaws |02 and |04 while simultaneously depressing trigger 66 to open them,

The operation of the embodiment disclosed in Figure 11 is substantially .the same as before described. While the operator -holds the pole 20 in his left hand as described, a letter |64 is pressed against the vacuum cups |46 which will support the same and the carriage is then elevated to the upper end of the rod. When the letter is properly positioned with respect to the supporting rods |12, the lever 84 is depressed by the operators left thumb to move the trigger 12 to effect inward movement of the lever 92 which operates the vacuum release valve |50 to release the letter in its proper position. Obviously, letters may be removed from the sign by pressing the vacuum cups thereagainst while the carriage is in its elevated position on the post 20.

The operation of the embodiment disclosed in Figure 12 is also substantially similar to the operation of the rst two embodiments. The pole is held by the left hand adjacent the trigger 6B and the lever 84 and the letter |64 placed so that the metallic buttons |68 are adjacent the electromagnets |64 to be supported thereby. The carriage is then elevated to the upper limits of the pole and again placed in proper position with respect to the supporting rods |12 of the marquee sign. The lever 84 is then depressed to again effect movement of the lever 96 inwardly to open the switch |62 rendering the electromagnets ineffective and releasing the letter |64 in its proper position upon the rods |12.

It will now be obvious that the present invention is simply though ruggedly constructed,'ca pable of Wide adjustments for letters of various sizes and arranged to be operated in a natural fashion without difficulty.

Although the present invention has been described in its application for theater marquee letters, it will be readily apparent that other articles may be raised or lowered to or from various positions thereby with only slight variations in the shape of the holding means to accommodate the same.

It is to be understood that the forms of the invention herein sho-wn and described are to be taken as preferred examples of the same and that varying changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim: l

1. A device for conveying articles to an elevated position comprising a pole, a bracket slidably mounted on said pole, article-holding means pivotally mounted 0n said bracket, and means associated with said pole for elevating said holding means, said holding means comprising a support, a pair of oppositely projecting stub posts mounted thereon, and a pair of clamping jaws adjustably mounted on lsaid posts.

2. A device for conveying articles to an elevated position comprising a pole, a bracket slidably mounted on said pole, article-holding means pivotally mounted on said bracket, and means associated with said pole for elevating said holding means, said holding means comprising a support, a pair of oppositely projecting stub posts fixed thereto, a pair of clamping jaws adjustably mounted on said posts, one of said posts including spaced transverse slots therein, and a lever pivoted to one of said jaws and engageable with one of said slotsl to retain said jaw in adjusted position on said post.

3. A device for conveying articles to an elevated position comprising a pole, a bracket slidably mounted on said pole, article-holding means pivotally mounted on said bracket, and means associated with said pole for elevating said holding means, said holding mean-s comprising a support, a pair of oppositely projecting stub posts Xed thereto, and a pair of clamping jaws adjustably mounted on said posts, one of said posts being provided with spring means to urge one of said jaws to article-holding position.

HARRY W. MORELAND, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

